On Her Majesty's Secret Service - The LS Cut

LastSurvivor tightens up one of the better Bond films in sleek fashion. I appreciate the nips & tucks, including less Diana-Rigg-slapping.

Too bad there was no tidy way to edit the story so that the most heavily armed medical spa ever could be assigned a less goofy, more menacing purpose. However, that's a minor issue in an overall strong fanedit. *SPOILER KLAXON* By making Tracy more central to the story, LS brings greater poignancy to the tragic end.

I enjoyed the commentary track as much as the feature experience. LS gives his insights into Bond history, Rigg's pivotal role, his editing decisions, and even his second thoughts as to what he could have edited differently, making his commentary a fanediting class in session.

Major tinkering by one of the site’s best editors. Included is a terrific audio commentary which is particularly enjoyable and entertaining, in which the editor elaborates on alterations and shares his enthusiasm for this, his obvious favorite Bond outing. Also included is a third audio track featuring an unaltered music score.

Video - 1920 X 1080p mp4. Solid editing and wise choices all the way around. The Alpine scenery always featured stunning blues and whites, and the night scenes hold up masterfully. I can appreciate that numerous small cuts are often trickier to pull off rather than wholesale pruning with the editing chainsaw. Source selected, by the way, was the HD mp4.

Audio - Mono. Really? Yes, truly, though Last Survivor does discuss that in his commentary. Keep in mind the original was mono, as well, so I can understand his reluctance not to use the “upgraded” sound. No subs, though clarity of dialogue excellent throughout.

Narrative - I grasp Last Survivor’s concept, trying the excise the condescending and belittling scenes and comments aimed at Lazenby. In that regard, LS has succeeded marvelously. Lazenby comes across smoother and more professional. There were no modifications to the structure, consequently the story remains cohesive.

Enjoyment - No change as far as I am concerned. The action sequences were and remain outstanding, far ahead of their time, actually. Barry’s score is one of my favorites. Most of the actors are fine, Savalas surprisingly so. Ms. Rigg notwithstanding, the “Bond girls” were sorority also-rans.

In the audio commentary, Last Survivor makes a persuasive case for Lazenby as a most excellent Bond. Sorry, I never bought Lazenby as 007 when the film was released, and if anything I am even less convinced now. Aside from the poorly choreographed, laughable fisticuffs, which seem closer to serial cliffhanger antics, there is Mr. Lazenby’s overall presence. The actor exudes palpable menace, an absolute necessity for a 00 agent, yet there is, for me, a distressing thuggish quality to Lazenby. As a villain, he could have been ideal; an anti-Bond if you please. Yet as Bond himself? Hardly. Lazenby would always pick the wrong wine.

Although this is my favourite Bond film, there were always little things about this movie that niggled. This fanedit has removed all of them! This was a great watch and the edits were seamless, I thoroughly recommend this fanedit!

This is a great edit. You have taken a great Bond film and subtly improved it. You took out most of the parts that always made me cringe a little. I think you very much accomplished the goal of focusing on Tracy throughout more, which was a great idea in my opinion. I thought the cuts were smart and I personally wouldn't want them any deeper. Great job!

First, please forgive this rather short review....
I thought this was excellent! Most serious James Bond fans know that this is a good movie and that Lazenby made a great Bond, but only got the chance this one time.
I don't have much to say beyond Well Done! I couldn't point to anything "wrong" with this edit at all. I've given it 10s across the board except a 9 for enjoyment, and that is only because it still feels just a little long to me. But I don't have any great suggestions for where more could have been cut. Overall, I highly recommend this.